Improvement in flax and hemp brakes



A. W. HALL.

Flax and Hemp Brake.

Patented Nov. 22', 1864.

N, PETERS, MlmLRhop-Aphw. Wzsblnglmn n. b.

UNITE STATES A. WV. HALL, OF NEVT YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT .IN FLAX AND HEMP BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. Q5, 1541., datedNovember 22, 1864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, A. \V. HALL, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented a new and Improved Flax and Hemp Brake; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, Sheet No. 1, isa plan or top view of my invention; Fig. 2, a transverse section of aportion of the same, taken in the line x m, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, Sheet No. 2,a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken in the liney y, Fig.1; Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in line a 2,Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved machine for operating uponflax and hemp for the purpose of separating the fiber from the woodyportion thereof.

The invention consists in a novel construction and arrangement ofbeaters and a bed, as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby theoperations of beating, scutching, and feeding the material along in themachine are performed simultaneously, and the fiber, if desired, cutinto pieces of a requisite length to form stock for paper and for otherpurposes where a short fiber is required.

A represents a cylinder provided with pins (1, arranged in one or morespiral rows, as shown in Fig. 1. This cylinder has its bearings b at oneend of a horizontal bed, B, over which a series of beaters, G, areplaced, one end of the latter being fitted loosely 011 a shaft,

,1), and the opposite ends extending nearly to the cylinder A, so thatthey may be operated upon by the pins a. These beaters are raised by thepins a of cylinders A, and they are forced down by an india-rubberspring, E, which extends across them, and has its ends secured to thesides of the bed B. Any other spring arrangement, however, may beemployed for this purpose. The beaters G are each formed with arectangular opening, 0, at their front parts, and these openings arebelow the main portions of the beaters, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, andwhen the beaters are fully down and rest or bear upon the bed B. Saidopenings are in oblong slots (1, made in the bed B, (see Figs. 8 and 4,)the bars 0 between said slots serving to support the flax or hemp whilebeing operated upon by the beaters. 0n the bed B, underneath the beaters 0, there is placed a flat bar, F, which is provided at each end witha journahf, said journals being near one edge of the bar F. One or bothof these journals f has a lever,G, attached to it, by which the bar Fmay be turned up edgewise for thepurpose of raising the heaters to bringtheir openings 0 in line with each other when necessary. The beaters Care operated by the pins ain a consecutive manner, one beater beingraised, and just before it reaches its culminating point,the ad joiningbeater is raised, the first dropping or being forced down by the springbefore the second reaches its culminating point.

The flax or hemp to be operated upon is laid on a table, G which is atone side ofthe bed B, and is passed into the openings 0 of the first twoor three beaters. As the beaters fall they break and seutoh the flax orhemp, the latter resting 011 the bars 6. As each beater falls thesucceeding one is rising, as before stated, and the flax or hemp isdrawn or fed along by the descending beater, as will be fully understoodby referring to Fig. 4, in

which an elevated heater, 1, is shown rising from the flax or hemp,whilea heater, 2, just fallen or forced down, has drawn the flax or hemp tautunderneath the beater 1, the flax or hemp being held by the beater 3, asthe beater 2 is forced down. Before the beater 1 reaches its culminatingpoint, but after the beater 2 has fallen, the beater 3 rises to liberatethe flax or hemp for the beater 1 to feed along when it is forced down,the heater 4 then holding the flax or hemp. Thus it will be seen thatthe flax or hemp is fed along in the direction indicated by the arrowthrough the openings 0 of the beaters by the operation of the latteronly, the beaters working consecutively in pairs through the wholeseries. If a single spiral row of pins a are e1nployed,one pair ofheaters are in operation only at once; but if two rows of pins are used,

two pairs will be in operation. One or more spiral rows of pins may beused on the cylinder A, as desired.

On two of the beaters O at the discharge end or side of the machine Iattach plates d, having cutting-edges to form knives to out the flax orhemp,and plates 6, having toothed edges like saws, may be attached tothree or four of the adj oiningrbcaters to serve to separate the fiberfrom the woody portion of the flax or hemp, and also to divide the fiberinto fine threads. These saw-blades also serve as efficient scutches.

When the fiber does not require to beout, the knives d are detached fromthe heaters at the discharge end or side of the machine.

I do not claim, broadly, the employment oruse of a series of beatersworking in a slotted bed, for that is an old and well known device; but

I claim as new andldesire to secure by Let ters Patent-- 1. Theemployment or use of a series of on a cylinder, A, in connection withthe slotted bed 13 and a suitable spring or springs, all arranged sothat the heaters will work consecutively in pairs and perform theoperations of heating or breaking, scutohing, and feeding,simultaneously or at one operation, as set forth.

2. The bar F when applied to the bed B and underneath the heaters G,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The knives or cutters d and saws 6, when applied to or used incombination with the heaters C, substantially as and for the purposeherein set forth.

4. The openings 0 in the beaters C, made or arranged as showmwith abottom piece or bar, so as to raise the flax orhemp from between thebars e, and admit of its being fed along by the descent or downstroke ofthe beaters, as set forth.

A. W. HALL.

\Vitnesses:

JAMEs P. HA L, WM. F. MONAMARA.

